


Embedded Clock

by woozisama



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, fluff???, other members mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:35:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24249631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woozisama/pseuds/woozisama
Summary: Jihoon had a digital clock on his wrist, and he didn't know why.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

_"Mom, what's this?" the little boy asked, his small hand gently caressing his own pale skin as he carefully examined his wrist. Faded and scattered short lines were visible right there, like an ink stain that had been washed off because he got scolded for writing on his skin._

_Except that he never did that._

_His mom, who was combing the little boy's hair neatly, focused on what he was referring to. She was blinking warily at him then at his skin, unsure of what to say but decided to give her son a reassuring smile, "Just a birthmark, Hoonie." then patted his head to which the little boy just nodded with a grin._

• • •

_"Nana! Come here quick!" the little boy yelled from his room, his arms soaked wet with water as he just finished playing on their garden. He was staring at his left arm, his face showed confusion and shock, whichever comes first, as he tried to recall the last time he wrote on his wrist but none of those memories reminded him of those faded marks across the skin._

_His maid, who he called nana ever since, hurriedly went to the boy's room, searching across the bedroom then to the open door of the bathroom to see the boy who just stood there, not moving an inch at her presence. "Why? What happened? Are you hurt anywhere?" She asked as she was holding his shoulders to make him look at her, which he did._

_"What is this, nana?" He showed his arm to the maid and she held his arm carefully before sighing at him._

_"I told you not to write on youself again, Cheollie. You know it's difficult to remove."_

_"I swear I never did, nana! I was in the garden the whole afternoon!" The little boy defended, but his maid was just shaking her head at him which made him frown because she didn't believe him._

_"It'll be gone soon once you wash it all over again. Don't write on your wrist again, okay?"_

_In which, never happened._


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm not even paid on my school tuition, what the hell is this." 

Jihoon has been rambling to himself all weekend and to say that he was frustrated was beyond an understatement. He was staring at the paper on his hand that clearly says it's the house's electricity bill. He's been living alone for years now in the house his parents left for him ever since they died. Being an only child, everything was passed on to him and it's been helping him live, really. Not that he didn't use it wisely, but they weren't rich so it would barely last long considering Jihoon is a growing boy and he needed to take care of himself, too.

Jihoon needed a new job, which sucks because he resigned on his recent job. He thought to try out a night shift waiter in a cafe and tried to be positive that it will be a stable job for about 3 months, but the boss, fuck that old man because he never treated his employees right. Even the pay is depressingly low and his hours of shift is definitely not worth it, he just grew tired of working there and even question himself how he managed to put up with that shitty place for months and swearing that he will never sacrifice his precious sleep like that again because, well, college is a living hell.

That was just the second job, though. He's been trying to work two jobs to be able to support his college. He's currently on his fourth year and it's making him so insane. He's been drowning with school works and still trying to work as a barista in a cafe to at least cover the remaining balance of his tuition. The employees of the cafe and the boss has been treating him well ever since his freshman year, though. Even if the server guy named Seungkwan is annoying as hell, he can manage. 

He barely had friends. Okay, scratch that, he doesn't have friends. He was once that bubbly kid that thought the world is all cupcakes and rainbows, his parents made him feel like it was. He loved his parents more than anything else in the world, and he still does every single day. But damn, how cruel the world is for taking them away from him when he's just 13. Everything was still so vivid for him, like everything just happened yesterday and he was there. 

He didn't really want to think about that terrible accident again, so he just shook his head in attempt to forget about it and just placed the bill on the refrigirator using some starfish magnet that's been there for as long as he remember. The bill wasn't the only thing that is pinned there, there's also that family picture that he treasures by heart. He traced his parents' faces with his fingers and managed a small weak smile, "I miss you both."

Sighing to himself, he decided to start his day by making some coffee for himself because he knows it's gonna be a long day at his work.

After getting himself ready and putting on his sweatshirt with a 'staff' written on the middle along with some black pants and some converse, he grabbed his necessary stuff and his lunch before leaving his house, not forgetting to bid goodbye on the picture frame of his mom and dad that sits on the coffee table of the living room. 

The walk towards the cafe only took him for about half an hour, he doesn't really want to spend his money on transportation if he can just walk it from his house. He was greeted by another barista named Jisoo who was moping the floor when he entered, giving him a 'good morning' and warning him to be careful on the floor because it was wet. That kid has always been nice.

"Hi, Jihoon! Good morning, yeah?" Of course, that's Seungkwan greeting him with a big grin plastered on his face. Jihoon didn't want to be rude, so he smiled at him with a small "Good morning, Seungkwan." before heading towards the staff room to hide his stuff and get his green apron.

The first few hours were fine, just like a normal Sunday morning with people trying to wake and freshen themselves up with some coffee and pastries. It was nearly 11 in the morning, and not much people were passing by at this hour so Jihoon busies himself with refilling the cups and cleaning the machines from time to time. 

At 11am, Jisoo has excused himself for lunch like their old routine where he is the first to take lunch, then Jihoon, then Seungkwan in order to at least have 2 people, behind the counter and serving customers on their tables. Jihoon still wonders why they can't just have 2 servers for the weekend shift but decided to just brush the thought away.

"Jihoon, you can take your break now." Jisoo spoke as he patted Jihoon's shoulder with a warm smile that made the latter smile as well. Thanking his hyung, he went to the staff room after he finished adding some pastries displayed next to the counter.

Jihoon grabbed his phone and earphones from his bag together with his lunch then he sat down on one of the chairs in the room, plugging his earphones in and listening to one of his saved loop that he's been working on as he dug into is lunch. His feet gently tapping against the tiled floor in sync with his music, taking a mental note of the lyrics that pops in his mind. 

After cleaning up his lunch, he heard a knock on the door that made him remove one of his earphones and saw Seungkwan holding a cup of hot chocolate for him, he raised his eyebrow for a moment before grabbing it carefully then took a small sip. "And, well, a little help."

Jihoon almost chokes on his drink that made Seungkwan chuckle. "I knew this was a bribe. What did you do now?"

"Some crazy lady threw a coffee at a guy and mind you, it was freshly made by Jisoo hyung because it was the guy's coffee that she spilled and she was yelling like a lunatic before storming out." Seungkwan mimics the way the girl threw the coffee, making hand gestures like he's out of his mind to explain how crazy the girl is. Then Seungkwan rolled his eyes, "The guy was pretty hot, but pretty rude, too. He didn't even say sorry to us nor the customers about what happened. He just stormed off as well, geez."

Jihoon's eyebrows slightly knitted together as he thought of the commotion, it must've been disturbing for the other customers who's trying to find some silence in a coffee shop. "And what help are we talking about here?" Jihoon asked, raising an eyebrow at Seungkwan's grin.

"Well it's kind of my turn for lunch 5 minutes ago, so." Seungkwan trailed off as he glanced at the wall clock in the room, making Jihoon look at it too before mumbling "Oh, right. Sorry." and quickly cleaning the table up.

Jihoon grabbed the mop and headed towards the mess. There were two medium sized cups on the floor along with some coffee spills all around the cups. He turned his head to the counter to see Jisoo wiping it clean, there must be some coffee spills there, too.

He quickly cleaned up the mess and helped Jisoo serve the coffees he just made for tables #1 and #7. After serving, Jihoon went to the counter and asked Jisoo, "Was the fight really that bad? Sad that I didn't get to watch, I would have chased them outside with a broom because no one should disturb our customers."

"Maybe. The lady was telling the guy that he's a jerk then threw her almost finished coffee on him. She was probably not satisfied because she started yelling again and also took his cup and splashed it on him." Jisoo explained with a small frown, "The guy seemed to be calm about it, he probably knew he deserve it and saw that coming."

"Didn't even apologize for it. What an ass." Jihoon scoffs, earning a chuckle from Jisoo and they continued their work as if nothing happened. 

Seungkwan already came out of the staff room at 12 noon, a big smile was on his face as he approached the two. "Jihoon hyung, I have news!" The said boy looked at him with curiosity, his eyes blinking at the younger. "You said you needed a new job right? My friend Minghao said there was a spot in their bar because someone resigned, I can ask him to save it for you and maybe you can go there if you have the time."

Jihoon was beyond shocked because it was the least thing he thought that Seungkwan would do for him, to help him out on finding a job. Despite of Jihoon being not so friendly towards him because he was loud and annoying as fuck, that boy is still wanted to be kind to him. What did he even do to the kid for him to be that nice?

"Wow– I mean, you'd do that?" Jihoon was hesitating, or maybe making sure if the younger was just making fun of him for some unknown reason because he knows how much this kid likes to prank people.

"Of course! What are friends for, duh." Seungkwan rolled his eyes at him before putting his attention on the phone in his hands. "I'll tell Minghao to save the position and that you'll be there as soon as possible. You better not ditch that or I'll disown you." The younger added, throwing a playful glare at Jihoon before heading back to the staff room.

Jihoon was definitely stunned. Did he just say friends?

He's been working in the cafe for years and Seungkwan and Jisoo worked with him when he was in his second semester at third year, which means that they've been working for almost a year now. Jihoon felt bad, awful even, after hearing that the younger considered him like a friend yet here he is, thinking that Seungkwan was none other than a loud, annoying co-worker. 

Not that Jihoon doesn't want him to be a friend. It just felt, foreign. Like it was something that Jihoon never heard of since birth. As much as he doesn't want to admit, it made his heart flutter because for once, someone considered him as a friend. And it's the best thing he's heard of ever since his life was filled with gray clouds.

The rest of the day wasn't eventful like what happened at lunch, it's not like everyday you get to see someone splashing coffee everywhere. It's only 5 minutes left before 5 in the afternoon, which means their shift is over so Jihoon decided to help the two on cleaning up tables for the next shift to start with, then headed towards the staff room to gather his belongings and go home to finish his pile of homework that he's been trying to finish since last night.

At home, Jihoon made himself some ramen since it's easier to make he had tons of work to be submitted by tomorrow. He also made some coffee to keep himself up for, maybe the whole night.


	3. Chapter 3

It was ten o'clock in the morning when Seungcheol woke up and his head was throbbing, it felt like any moment his head will rip in two. He almost forgot how he tried to get so wasted last night that he didn't notice the sleeping figure next to him, all cuddled up on his chest. A deep frown made its way to his face because who the hell is this girl?

Then he remembered, this girl tried to flirt with him last night in the bar, getting all touchy with him while he's basically drowning himself with alcohol. She's probably the one who took him here, not the other way around. The girl was pretty desperate to be in his pants.

Not that he mind it, though. It's been Seungcheol's habit to bring girls with him after getting drunk and he liked it, or maybe he did. It's always been like that ever since he was college, going out every night then waking up in some bed he doesn't even recognize with some stranger that just wants a night with him. 

He had the attention that others wanted and he thought that finally, he was starting to get noticed. He was the eye candy of the school, like the school's prince charming and every student that he passes either greet him or flirt with him bluntly and of course, Seungcheol being Seungcheol, he'd flirt back.

It's one thing that he always wanted, and maybe needed because he never even received attention, not even from his parents which is probably the main reason why he's like this right now. A perfect mess.

Seungcheol was never the good kid, he knew it himself but he needed to put a front of being one to survive college. He was smart, but he never do his homework or other school stuff, someone else do those for him because who can say no to Choi Seungcheol?

"Oh, you're up." The girl beside him mumbled and covered her top as she was sitting up to look at him. "Last night was amazing, we should hang out some other time, hmm?" She was smiling slyly at him and Seungcheol can't help but still frown at her.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Now get the fuck out, Bella." He said firmly while pointing at the door. The smile on the girl's face quickly disappeard and she was suddenly fuming with anger, glaring at Seungcheol.

"I'm Dani, you fucking asshole!" She yelled before standing up, stomping angrily as she searched her clothes all over the room and quickly putting those on with an amazing record of time. She was crying angry tears and her face is a huge mess that Seungcheol wants to laugh at the sight of it.

"Whatever. Out." Seungcheol shrugged his shoulders and said once again, nodding towards the door motioning for her to leave which she did, not forgetting to curse at him again before slamming the door behind her. Is it really necessary to know the names of who you take to bed? Of course not. 

Now that he's all alone, he tried to stand up and ignore the shooting pain in his head then walked straight to the bathroom to take a shower because he feels so gross of himself from all the sweat that must have been there since last night and that girl's scent was nowhere near Seungcheol's liking.

After showering, he gathered his clothes and other belongings as he wore all the clothes once again. He checked the clock on his phone, it's almost 11 in the morning and the first thing he thought of was he needed a coffee. He felt like banging his head on the wall to try if the pain will subside, as if passing the pain to the wall. If he doesn't get a coffee in the next 15 minutes, he might do just that.

Seungcheol exited the hotel, his phone in hand and the other on his head, trying to massage that pain away. His head just aching more as he doesn't have his car with him. Just great, he probably left it in the parking at the bar. 

He scrolled through his contacts then found the number he needed, quickly dialing the number and placing his phone against his ear, closing his eyes and concentrating on resisting the frown that's about to form on his face once again. About five rings, the call was finally picked up over the other end of the line. 

"What's wrong, hyung?" The person on the other line asked, his voice sounded like he just woke up, which is much true because he did just wake up because of the ringing of his phone.

"Hey, Mingyu. The keys of my car are not with me, all I have is my phone and wallet and I know I drove it to the bar." Seungcheol asked as he was rechecking his jeans' pockets and still, no keys to magically appear in any of it.

"I drove your car back to your house after my shift earlier. The girl with you was annoying, I told her to leave you alone but, meh." Mingyu grumbled on the other line, the last word seemed to be muffled on a pillow. "So I just took your car keys from somewhere in your pocket, and your baby is safe."

"Alright, thanks." The older hung up, actually feeling thankful to the younger because that car is his baby. He didn't want some stranger to steal his baby just because he's drunk. Mingyu knew how obsessed Seungcheol is with that fancy car of his so he knew to take care of it, too.

Mingyu is Seungcheol's friend from the bar he always go to at night. The younger is a bartender there, and Seungcheol is a regular customer so he happen to be friends with him after a lot of visit. Seungcheol grew close to him and treated him like the younger brother he never had.

He's an only child, which means lonely as fuck. It's like he's only lived with maids his whole life. His parents were never home, they're basically married to their jobs that they forgot they have a child. He only see them maybe twice a year, if he's lucky, thrice. He's already used to it though, not having them around, it doesn't even matter anymore.

Seungcheol never felt their presence even if they're home. They were never there for him on the most special occasions, all he get was gifts and money but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted them to be a family. He wanted them to be a family where he can be comfortable with, sharing stories of his day at school, telling him to be careful whenever he wants to play, telling him to do his best whenever he needs encouragement, and telling him that they're proud to have him as a son. But life is always cruel, of course he can never have those.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he took a cab and asking the driver to drop him at Hit Cafe. He doesn't really know the place well, he just remembered the cafe by name since it's too easy to be forgotten and he didn't really want to look around for another cafe. He just needed a coffee, go home and sleep his headache off. 

Seungcheol paid the for the cab, letting the driver keep the change before stepping out of the car. He opened the door and headed straight to the queue of customers as he looked around the cafe. 

It was cozy and warm, like any normal cafe around the city. Some paintings were pinned against the beige wall, on the other side, there's a big board hanging there with tons of pictures of people holding different sizes of cups that the cafe serves. This cafe is probably famous because all of the tables seemed to be occupied already so he might just take his coffee out.

"Just an espresso. Tall." Seungcheol mumbled, audible enough to hear for the person behind the counter with pinkish hair who nodded at him and asked to wait on the side of the counter after paying for it.

The barista went back with Seungcheol's coffee, thanking him before entertaining the next one in line. Seungcheol turned to leave but was halted once he felt a hand grab his jacket that made him look towards it and just earning a slap on the face. 

"What the fuck–"

"You asshole! I can't believe you had the fucking guts to show up after what you did? You're a fucking jerk!" And the girl keeps rambling while hitting him. Seungcheol was just staring at her emotionlessly, resisting the urge to just cover her mouth because who the hell is this now? Her voice is so fucking pitchy and it's ringing around the whole cafe. Everyone was staring at them either in shock or annoyance and the girl didn't even care that she's making a scene.

Seungcheol didn't even notice the girl stopped blabbering and the next thing he knew is his shirt and neck are wet. The girl poured her drink on him with a frown on her face and he was just looking at his shirt then at her with a face he doesn't know he's making. The girl scoffed and grabbed his own coffee from his hands and immediately splashing it on him. Damn, that coffee is freshly made it was too hot on his skin and now he's dripping wet, great.

"You deserve more than just that, jerk!" She yelled at him before stomping out of the cafe, her heels making a loud noise against the tiled floor of the place. Seungcheol just stood there, sighing exasperatedly as he combed a hand through his hair. He took a glance around the cafe and everyone's eyes are on him so he just turned to exit the place.

Seungcheol didn't know what to do, so he just took another cab and headed straight home because his headache just got worse after that scene. He just wanted to sleep for the rest of the day.

He was greeted by his maids, bowing at his presence which he completely ignored and went straight to the kitchen. He got greeted by another maid which was his maid for as long as he remember. "Cheollie, you're home. Would you like something to eat? Have you had lunch?" She asked Seungcheol, who was sitting down on one of the chairs around the dining table.

"Yes, and coffee please." He sighed once again and ducked his head on his arms resting on the table. His maid gave him the coffee which he took immediately, desperate to get rid of the headache.

His lunch was served quickly as expected, so he ate while the maid was washing the dishes then handing his finished plate to her. She told Seungcheol to take a rest first because she saw how he would frown at nothing in particular so he went to his room, taking a quick shower before throwing himself on the bed.

When Seungcheol woke up, it was almost 7 in the evening. His room was quite dark and the small lamp beside his bed was on, his maid probably didn't want to disturb his sleep. He unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts again, dialing Mingyu's number again and slapping his forehead when he remembered that it's already the start of the younger's shift.

Whatever, it's another night at the bar for him anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

"Thank you so much, Jihoon!" was everything Jihoon heard all morning and all he did was smile. Jihoon was already working part time for years now, but he's also trying to earn money outside work so his sideline was doing other people's school work. It sounds like he's making other students tardy, but he also needed the money so he decided to still do it.

He's been doing this for almost 2 years now, he's known for being a consistent honor student ever since he entered the university. Even in extra curricular activities, he's been an active representative of the school making him quite popular which he never liked. The kid hated attention yet everything he does seem to just attract more of it.

After giving the last homework he did for someone else and receiving his payment, he quickly rushed towards his next class and sighing in relief when he came first before the teacher. He immediately went to his seat which is the far corner of the room that no one occupies, as if his classmates already knew that the seat was already marked as Jihoon's.

It was just another boring lesson in his history class and the teacher was just discussing something Jihoon already knew. He always try to read in advance whenever he had time, it's something that happened to be a habit for him now. He just wanted the class to end already because it's the last period he has. Since he already knew the lesson, he decided to just nap throughout the whole hour. 

When he woke up, there's 5 minutes left before the dismissal but everyone was already packing their bags to leave so Jihoon just did the same. He needs to get home early because there's an interview waiting for him somewhere he doesn't quite know but Seungkwan promised to take him there this afternoon.

He didn't know what to wear, even though Seungkwan told him that he doesn't need to dress fancy because the job was already for him, he just needed to make an appearance. No matter how much the younger assured him for the position, he still feels anxious because what if the manager doesn't like him? What if there's a height requirement on that job? Damn it. That's the thing he's concerned about most because if the job really have a height requirement, he's fucked up big time.

Jihoon settled for a semi-formal attire which somehow looks like his school uniform and grabbed important stuffs like his money, his phone, and an envelope that contains his resume and other papers necessary for a job interview. After leaving his house, his other hand was busy looking for Seungkwan's number and immediately dialing the younger.

"Hey. I'm already out, where are you?" Jihoon asked while rechecking his envelope, he was sure he placed everything there last night but still checking it in case he forgot something.

"I'm at Hit, hyung! You can head here then we're ready to go- Hey stop it, Hansol!" Seungkwan was near to yelling at the mention of a name Jihoon is not familiar yet.

"Alright, be there at 20." and Jihoon hang up because there were rumbling and yelling of Seungkwan and another voice at the other end of the line that quite hurt his ears. Seungkwan's voice is loud enough already, what more two.

He arrived at the cafe he works at during the weekends, named Hit Cafe and there he saw Seungkwan together with a guy with curly, brown hair and Jihoon was sure, the kid is not from here.

"Oh, hyung! Sorry about earlier. This is Hansol, my boyfriend." Seungkwan greeted Jihoon, then motioning for the boy beside him who was holding a tall cup of latte in his hand. Hansol was waving at him with a big smile and Jihoon didn't know what to do so he waved back awkwardly at him. "I do hope you're not a no homo, hyung."

Jihoon looked at Seungkwan, his eyes wide and waving his hand in defense. "No, of course not! It's just, I didn't know you're into guys." He tried to show his best reassuring smile at the younger, which seemed to work because there's a big smile plastered on his face.

"That's great, then! Well I brought him with me because he's a regular customer at the bar and is really close with the bartenders and the manager. You're so getting that job!" 

It made Jihoon smile, because someone actually cared for him like that. Never did he thought that he'll be here, having a friend- or friends- giving him company to get a job to support himself. It was more heart-fluttering than he thought it would be, and Jihoon appreciates it so much.

They took Hansol's car and Jihoon can't be more shy than he ever was. He didn't know the younger's boyfriend, yet he's this kind to give them a ride. The bar was not that far from the cafe and Jihoon thinks, he can still walk it from home, thank goodness.

Hansol mentioned in the car that the bar doesn't open until 6pm, so they happen to take their time to get there and it was 15 minutes past six. Hansol was greeted by a few when they passed by, he was leading the way towards the counter where there stood a tall man in white and an apron around his waist. It made Jihoon frown and man, was he jealous.

"Hey, man!" Hansol greeted the tall guy, which made the guy turn to him with a grin, showing those perfect teeth.

The guy did something like a fistbomb with Hansol, "Hey, dude. Hi, Seungkwan!" he turned to wave at Seungkwan and returned the gesture.

"Hi, Mingyu. Is Minghao here already? I brought Jihoon along with me for the job." Seungkwan asked, his arm draping over Jihoon's shoulder which relieved the older because he's actually starting to feel out of place. 

Just as the Mingyu guy was about to answer, someone else popped out of nowhere and headlocking Seungkwan, making the younger remove his arm around Jihoon. "Long time no see, you hoe!"

"Get off me, noodle head!" Seungkwan yelled that earned him a few hit on the head and arms, laughing his head off while the other guy was hitting him. The two other guys were just laughing at them before actually trying to stop the two from bickering at each other.

Jihoon can't help himself chuckle at the sight because he was beyond amazed that he forgot this was a bar and that he was here for a job. It felt like he was just out hanging with a bunch of friends that he haven't seen for a while. For the first time, he actually felt comfortable around people.

"Right! Hao, this is Jihoon hyung, the one I told you that will apply for the job." Seungkwan motioned for the older, which made Jihoon bow slightly at him.

"Let's take you to meet the owner, shall we?" And those words made Jihoon's anxiousness return in his body. Minghao must have noticed the sudden tense in the older's shoulders, making him laugh at Jihoon. "Don't be scared! He's really nice, the owner. I've been working here for almost a year and he's never made me feel left out."

It made Jihoon relax a little, he just hopes that he makes a good impression for the owner because he still believes in that old statement that first impression lasts.

They were heading somewhere towards the second floor of the building, pass through a narrow hallway with tons of doors. Heading straight to the end of the hallway stood a door that says 'Keep Out' hanging on it. Minghao knocked thrice, turning the doorknob when he heard a 'come in' from inside.

"Bumzu hyung, here's the new kid!" Minghao said, already getting excited at the thought of working with Jihoon. He grabbed the older's wrist and walked him inside the office.

There is a big table in the middle of room, behind the table were big windows that gives a perfect view of the sky even from the door of the office. On the other side of the room was a coffee table and a couch that's too big for Jihoon- maybe the biggest couch he's ever seen. His attention went to the man sitting on the swivel chair, who was smiling at them.

"Hello, you must be Lee Jihoon." The owner said as he stood up, offering Jihoon a hand which he took on his own with a polite bow. He was motioned to sit on the chair in front of the table and nodded at Minghao who just bowed at them and gave Jihoon a thumbs up before leaving the room.

"So, I was told that you're a working student already before this job was offered to you by Minghao's friend." Bumzu started, looking at Jihoon with a small smile.

Jihoon cleared his throat, afraid that his voice might betray him at this important moment. "Yes, I'm currently working as a barista in Hit Cafe, Minghao's friend is my co-worker there. I have a copy of my resume, if you'd like?" His hands was slightly sweating and shaking but he tried to focus, and hurriedly searched for his resume inside the envelope and passing it to the owner.

Bumzu took the paper and scanned it carefully, Jihoon can't quite determine the expression that the owner was making, and it made him more and more nervous. He's trying to think if he put something in his resume that's not really necessary to know.

"You're 21?" Bumzu sounded amused, looking at Jihoon with slightly wide eyes as if it was something unbelievable. Jihoon didn't really know if he's supposed to feel insulted or something, but he nodded with a forced smile.

"And you've been a barista for.. 3 years?" 

"Yes, ever since I was freshmen, I worked at Hit Cafe. I've been living on my own and I'm supporting my own studies." Jihoon explained. Bumzu seemed to be satisfied enough and started to scan the last page of his resume before placing it down on the table.

Jihoon started to feel nervous again, what does that gesture means? Does he want him to leave? Was he not qualified? Is the height requirement really serious? Damn it. 

"So, let's talk about your shift." Jihoon felt like all the weight on his shoulder was lifted at once, making him break out a much more comfortable smile. 

"This bar only opens at 6pm. If you'd like to fit it in your schedule at school, you can start at 6pm like Mingyu and Minghao." Bumzu explained, "I can offer you a 4-6 hours of work but you might not have enough sleep or time for your school works if you take the 6 hours shift."

Jihoon thought, that's really thoughtful of him to think about my schedule. "Thank you, but will the 4-hour shift be possible?" because he thought about his school works too that requires most of his attention. 

"Yes, of course. Your pay depends on the sales of the bar and the tips will all be yours. It's nothing to be worried about, really." Bumzu assured the younger with a warm smile, which Jihoon returned to him much more comfortably. He was reaching towards the intercom. "Please bring Mingyu up here."

After a minute or two, Mingyu was already at the door "You called, hyung?" He saw Jihoon and gave him a big smile as he headed towards them, standing behind Jihoon.

"Please show him around, and Jihoon?" the said boy looked at him, then continued. "You may start tomorrow."


End file.
